Fish of the Nansenia genus of the Microstomatidae (pencil smelts) family of the Argentinoidei suborder of the Argentiniformes order of the Protacanthopterygii superorder.
(Mediterranean large-eyed argentine. Photo by © Henk Heessen. marinespecies.org)
Mediterranean large-eyed argentine (Nansenia oblita) was first described in 1887 by the Italian ichthyologist and naturalist Luigi Facciolà (1851 -?).
It is a pelagic species. It inhabits the depths of 300-500 meters. The maximum recorded length is 18 cm. It feeds on zooplankton.
It is a rare inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea. It is found in the southern part of the sea.
Names of Mediterranean large-eyed argentine (Nansenia oblita) in other languages are as follows:
Syzeza (Albanian), Bocapetita (Spanish), Nansenia (Italian), Средиземноморская нансения (Sredizemnomorskaya nanseniya) (Russian), Srebrnica veleoka (Croatian, Serbian).